The invention relates to an agricultural seed drill with a seed sensor, generally of the type having a plurality of row units comprising a separation device. The separation device is provided with two or more separate outlet openings for separated seeds, and wherein each outlet opening is associated with a guide channel and a furrow opener, for depositing seed into a ground furrow. Further, a detector is arranged between the outlet opening and the furrow opener, to detect the discharge of a separated seed element through the outlet opening into the furrow opener and to convert it into a signal.
Agricultural spreading machines for spreading granular material are often provided with flow or particle sensors to count the number of grains discharged, or to detect blockages in the discharge conduit system. Accordingly, suitable sensors are assigned to the individual lines, wherein the sensors themselves have evaluation units which are connected to a display or data acquisition unit via a cable harness.
An overview of the functioning of such monitoring systems may be found in the article “Späte Überraschungen Ausgeschlossen” in the periodical “profi Jan. 2015, published by Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster.” The structure and function, for example of an optical matrix counter, is explained in the German patent application DE3419883A1.
The object of the invention is to adapt such flow or particle sensors in a cost-effective manner to a seed drill which, with a separation unit, serves several seed rows. Accordingly, the cabling requirement is reduced and operational reliability increased.